


The Long Winds of Winter

by AthenaBorozon



Series: Brindelgard Memories [2]
Category: LOTR films, all works., jrr tolkien - Fandom, lotr - Fandom
Genre: Brindelgard, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 13:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9441344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaBorozon/pseuds/AthenaBorozon
Summary: Nature's Symphony





	

12.20.16

I cannot recall the year of this visit, but I do know it was the first time I realized that in Brindelgard there are three movements to Winter. Like a symphony; Each coming in its proper time and with it's own melody. 

Mistakenly, I believed that First Winter with its light snows and scents of oak leaves and northern trees was Winter for true. I enjoyed the time spent in the steaming pools in the center of town with the the Hobbits of Brindelgard, their guests and the Dwarves of Drel. Sharing spicy Autumn beer brewed by the dwarves and trying to solve word games and riddles contributed by the Hobbits. The dwarves would sing their rhyming songs and clap in complex patterns as the beer jars were passed from one to another, with never a spill. Buckleberry, the fine cat of the villages, sat close enough to the steaming pools to avoid a splash, but his long fur was soon covered in crystals from the mist. Iron-tinted eyes flashing in the nearby fire where dressing and undressing took place.

Second Winter ended the journey of the seasons of the year. It chased all into cottage and cave. I remember that Mrs. Parberry, with whom I was staying, was the last to close her yellow-painted shutters and tie the heavy window quilts tight before the Long Winds of Winter barreled into Brindelgard. This wind unceasingly roared against the cottage in a tone, like a base voice in a Dwarf lament. The trees were bent forward by the force of the blow, some snapping off to bounce along the brick lanes. The Tall Stones of Drel sounded a husky howl in the Long Winds of Winter. Hand crafts, mending and comfy chairs were the order of the days during the Long Winds of Winter. I sat cuddled in a pile of blankets on the floor near the fireplace. Songs that honored the Passed of the previous seasons were sung quietly while fragrent bundles of herbs and cones from the great trees were burned in the fireplaces. 

The Winds dragged behind them the Snows of Third Winter. Deep snow that showed every crunching footstep that lead to Gandalf's Staff where venison and other meats were cooked on the huge spit set in the fireplace. It was again a Season of comraderie, song, dance and stories. Hobbit tweens and strong young Dwarves earned treats by turning the spit and keeping the rough stone walkway free of snow. 

The End-of-Winter tree would soon be brought from the Ice House to stand tall by the hearth of the Staff where it would be decorated from top to bottom. Celebratory progressive dinners would take place in every cottage. Tili, the dwarf artisan of glass and beads, was working hard in her workshop to craft the Day Star which would crown the End-of-Winter Tree and there was, in the two towns, such a feeling of relief and joy. For soon She would shine in warmth and joy upon the straw covered fields nearby. The scent of tulips would come soon along with the scent of opening earth and the credenza of ticking stone.

I hope you enjoyed my little memory of the Long Winds of Winter.

/alb

**Author's Note:**

> An entry in the Brindelgard Memories series. I remember learning about Winter in Brindelgard on a long ago visit.


End file.
